Picking one favorite cake is possibly something of an impossible mission, but having a list of all favorite cakes - now that is perfectly feasible. On mine, you will find: fudgy brownies, good cheesecake, that tiny lemon lemon tart eaten in Nice, my grandmother's walnut layer cake, and, of course, banana bread.

Banana bread is the only cake my mom makes voluntarily. It's that easy. You also get to use those super ripe bananas which would otherwise land in trash (why those bananas are, in fact, better than just-ripe bananas was already explained here). Your kitchen will smell amazing for hours, as caramelizing bananas are one of the most home-y fragrances and adding brown sugar improves things - exponentially. You can really play around with flours, especially those of whole grain originis, because this baked good is supposed to be heavy and crumbly. Mashed bananas ensure the loaf doesn't fall apart even if you go crazy with the add-ins.

Like I did here: there is a bar of chocolate, half a cup of chopped pecans, vanilla extract, super dark muscovado sugar, some ground almonds for extra moistness. The loaf tastes great hot, straight out of the oven, the chocolate still melted, but slicing it so fresh is quite horrible and makes for a huge mess. Left to cool down overnight, wrapped in a piece of parchment, will soften and cutting even, smooth pieces will not be a problem. I dare you to make it last for more than a day - if you do (ah, my hero) try toasting the slices then having with some jam or nut butter.

In your blender, first grind the seeds, place in a small bowl and cover with the measured hot water. Set aside for 10 minutes.

Next, add the bananas and blend until no longer solid - but don't do this for too long, you don't want them to become a smoothie. Add all the other ingredients except for chocolate and pecans. Add the chia/flax egg and blend for 1 minute, stopping to scrape if necessary.

Lastly, with the blender off, add the chocolate and pecans, and use a spatula to stir them in. Transfer to your tin.

Bake for 60 - 75 minutes. Do the toothpick test; it should come out clean after poking the cake in the middle.

Can be eaten right away, but will be good for 5 days. For more information, look up to the post.

I’ve had such crazy times since I’ve gotten back to Milan and I have some news to share with you all, some of which you’re already aware if you follow my Instagram, but the madness is still in its full so here’s what I’ll do: I’ll delay the sharing for another couple of days, post a recipe not to feel like a completely disorganized loser, go to sleep with a sense of accomplishment, then get up and return to my #1 activity as of late: studying.

What you should focus on: the carrot mash. Make a double of triple batch and eat with everything instead of mayo during busy times (or on its own!). But the pancakes and salad are worthy of making too - I wouldn’t be sharing the recipe otherwise. You can add chopped scallions or even some more shredded carrot to the pancake batter - treat it as blank-ish canvas. The salad was polarizing - I like adding fruit to my greens but my flatmate doesn’t. Feel free to skip or replace the orange as you please. But note that greens have their place on the table even in wintertime.

Roasted Carrot Mash

Ingredients:

(makes 3/4 cup)

6 medium carrots

1 tbsp oil - I used olive oil

1/2 tsp each: cinnamon, coriander, lemon zest

1/4 tsp chili flakes

salt, pepper

2 tbsp tahini

1-2 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp date syrup / agave

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Preheat your oven to 200*.

Peel the carrots and halve them lengthwise. Place them in a heatproof dish or a baking pan, add the rest of the ingredients (except for tahini, lemon juice and sweetener), mix with your hands until all of the roots are covered.

Pop into the oven for 30 mins, but start checking for doneness after 20 minutes - poke them with a fork, they should feel very soft.

Transfer the carrots to a bowl or a tall container. If you have an immersion blender, use it to make the mash. Otherwise, a fork will do just fine.

Add the tahini, lemon juice and syrup. Taste and add salt or any other spice if necessary.

Winter Greens Salad

Ingredients:

(serves 2)

2 cups mixed greens

1/2 avocado

1 orange

2 tbsp almonds, in flakes or roughly chopped

dressing:

2 tbsp mild vinegar (I used raspberry, but apple cider is good, too)

1 tbsp walnut oil (or any other with a delicate flavor)

1 tsp agave

1 tsp grainy mustard

1/2 tsp flaky red pepper / pinch of powdered chili

How to:

Wash the greens and pat them dry, then chop roughly into bite-size pieces. Cube the avocado. Peel the orange and slice, then break into pieces as dictated by the membranes - they are so tender you don’t have to worry about filleting the fruit. Place all in a large bowl.

Toast the almonds over high heat, keeping an eye on them constantly, until golden brown. Sprinkle on top of the salad.

Place all dressing ingredients in a small jar and shake to combine, drizzle over your salad.

Chickpea Pancakes

Ingredients:

(makes 6 pancakes, which fed 2 people)

80g canned chickpeas

50g chickpea flour / all-purpose will work just fine

3 tbsp water

1 tbsp chopped parsley, mint, coriander, anything you have on hand

1 tsp baking soda

salt, pepper

1 tbsp oil for frying

How to:

Mash/blend the chickpeas into paste. Add the rest of the ingredients and combine, adding more water if needed, by 1 tablespoon.

In a frying pan, heat up the oil over medium heat. Then, add a tablespoon of batter and, using the same spoon, flatten it into a pancake shape. Flip when bubbles leave holes on the surface (a minute after bubbles first appear). Continue with the rest of the batter.